Curse of the Faceless Man

There was a time back in the more carefree, youthful days many of us lived
through when we would sit watching the classroom clock count down the infernally
long minutes until the weekend. This was before television offered 24-7
programming geared to please every imaginable demographic so for us preteen boys
the weekend meant one thing; Saturday afternoon matinees at the local movie
theater. Now this was not the boxy little showrooms that populate malls
throughout the count. These were well appointed theater, albeit some past their
prime. There was a sense of being in a special place as we watched the flicks
presented to us each week. This was the cathedral of cinema were each weekend we
would gather to rejoice in the latest showings. These were not the main studio
movies that later that night would be on display for the adults with more
refined appreciation of film. For us all that mattered was to forget the world
of chores, homework and tests band have fun for a couple of hours. Our criteria
for how well a flick worked depended on a limited number of factors that boiled
down simply to a monster out of control or flights of adventure through the
uncharted vastness of outer space. In recent months MGM/UA has been releasing
some classic movies under a manufacture on demand release set. Typically the
series includes some little gems or ‘B’ movies that held some significance in
movie history. Thankfully, the masterminds behind the selection of which movies
are included appear to be one of us; the grown up versions of those matinee
kids. As such the term classic has been expanded to include movies like the one
under review here; ‘Curse of the Faceless Man’. I not only remember watching
this during one of those afternoons long ago I also recall seeing it on one of
the parentally forbidden ‘Creature Feature’ TV shows we would sneak up to watch
while the parents were asleep. This movie may be considered awful but that is a
matter of perception. As I watched the screener for this flick I was transported
back in time to that dark room and felt the same rush of joy.

My friends and I have a household motto ‘Do not awaken the ancient evil, you
moron’. Largely it is due to the influence of s close friend who is an
archeologist but there is as strong contributing factor from years of watching
films were the plot was predicated on the characters ignoring this simple, life
saving advice. If you uncover an object, especially one with general humanoid
morphology, do you poke it, stay in s room alone with it over night with it
otherwise do anything that might be construed as annoying to it. A warning like
this was offered by Italian archeologist, Maria Fiorillo (Adele Mara) to her
American colleague Dr. Paul Mallon (Richard Anderson) but he was reticent to the
concept. The artifact initiation the disagreement was a recent discovery of a
petrified body is discovered at the site of the ancient Pompeii volcanic
eruption. The form, a person trapped in the volcanic ash, was apparently a
gladiator whose armor was decorated with a medallion bearing Etruscan writing.
The instigating factor leading to the trepidation expressed by Dr. Fiorillo was
the disturbing fact that anyone left with the form overnight is killed by a
crushed skull by morning. Adding fuel to the conspiracy a psychically sensitive
young woman, Tina Enright (Elaine Edwards) begins to receive visions of a
‘faceless man’. The main trope employed here is a classic one found in hundreds
of movies similar to this with a wide degree of variation defining the genre.
The mindless humanoid killing machine can be found with Frankenstein’s Monster,
the Mummy or the dreaded Golem found in Jewish mythology. The fright is derived
from the creature having a form like ours but completely devoid of any amount of
control, morality or purpose that defines us as sentient beings. These creatures
are compelled by the most visceral, primitive components of our psychological
make-up. They are a dark, mindless mirror of us capable of brutality offensive
to our moral sensibilities.

Those expecting a well crafted motion picture are going to be disappointed
here. However, if you sat in those matinees than you are more likely to relish
in the amateurish production values presented here. These movies were as much
about the laughter as the fright sort of a predecessor to Mystery Science
Theater 3000. The acting is as stiff and lumbering as the titular creature. The
movie is relatively brief and made on the slimmest budget possible so you can
well imagine luxuries like rehearsals, re-takes and post production clean-up
were not exactly in the cards. You might notice the American scientists as the
actor who would eventually be featured simultaneously in TV series on opposing
networks as Oscar Goldman in ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ and ‘The Bionic
Woman’. Like many actors flicks like this paid the bills while waiting for that
big break. Another crew member missing behind the scenes here was a continuity
manager. Props change not only from one scene to the next but occasionally in
the same shot. The dialogue is right out of a community college writing class
but it has to be kept in mind it was the first feature length screenplay from
Jerome Bixby. He would go on to far greater scripts including several of the
best received episodes of the original ‘Star Trek’ series and Sci-Fi masterpiece
films; ‘Fantastic Voyage’ and ‘The Man from Earth’. This is another added value
to the inclusion of movies like this in a classic release set; it gives fans the
opportunity of enjoying the early works of artist that helped shape our love for
cinema.